MANAGER vs FOUNDER

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Otume,

I am back from the Igede clan in Benue State and I am now with my friends from Degema, Rivers State, saying "hello" to everyone. May we always encounter favour as we anticipate a new month.

There is a certain man who was hired as a manager; he had great ideas and was willing to share it with the founder of his company. The founder does whatever he wants at every point in time. Out of frustration, the young man started executing his ideas without permission and this got him into trouble with the founder who felt slighted by the actions of the man. Let's think together as we discussed, Manager vs Founder.

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GENERALIZATION vs INDIVIDUALITY

Anginyi Nyiam,

My affiliation with the people of Igede in Benue State continues today. I have come to ‘My People’ just like they call it. This week is bombarded with many activities and I am hopeful that it will all end in praise.

Have you ever heard older people talk about certain tribes that they have some traits as such; they will make an inference advising their children and relatives to desist from associating them. Also, some communities are renowned for the production of academic doctors and professors. Interestingly, some people pride themselves with these traits.

Generalization is a situation when people of certain clans have been stigmatized. This happens intra-tribal and inter-tribal. I know that the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria have different banter on one another. This generalization has been negatively affected a lot of loving relationships and how people are treated in the case of any eventuality.

Individuality is about a person- the lifestyle, the attitude, the character. A contact with a person from a certain community might be the beginning and the conclusion of the traits from a community. The trait found in these people is not as a result of their ethnicity but based on their personality.

What is the crux of today’s discussion? Do not make people stigmatize others from the same ethnicity with you because of your behaviour. Also, you can stand out as a different person regardless of the ‘negative’ attributes associated with your tribe across generations.

Take time to rewrite history and not continue with negative attribute from your homeland.

Cheers!

Olutayo

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FAST FOOD vs HOMEMADE MEAL

Photo credit: www.9jafood.com.ng

Gbe nor,

As I have always shown intention to showcase Nigerian languages on this platform, I have come to you speaking Ososo language in Edo State, Nigeria, saying, Good morning. Hope it is a pleasant morning over there as it is here?

I will be discussing something that we all know but we usually ignore for many reasons ranging from laziness; change of taste; tight schedule; traffic congestion and many more. Well, I will want to ask you some questions, have you gone to a restaurant to find out that the condiment is overwhelming? Have you gone to a restaurant to buy a sour meal? Let’s reason together as we consider Fast Food vs homemade meal.

Fast food is defined by Wikipedia as a type of mass-produced food that is prepared and served very quickly, was first popularized in the 1950s in the United States, and may be relatively less nutritionally valuable compared to other foods and dishes. Food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a packaged form for take-out/take-away. Fast food restaurants are traditionally distinguished by their ability to serve food via a drive-through. The consumption of fast food leads to at least a 50 percent increase in calories consumed, sodium and total fat intake which may lead to weight gain and high blood pressure - risk factors for diabetes and heart disease.

Homemade meals are food made for the consumption of a sizable family. Homemade meals taken into consideration the dietary needs of everybody and it is also less expensive while everyone can have sufficient quantity. Some people who are used to homemade meals ‘find it tasking’ to eat out. Homemade meals do not have complaints but it is much healthier with natural supplement and less consumable ‘cosmetics’. Homemade meal is largely a balanced meal. Contrarily, many mothers refuse to train their sons how to cook as such he has no choice but to constantly consume fast food.

According to research conducted at Harvard University, families that ate together every day or most days had higher intake of health-promoting nutrients such as calcium, fiber, iron, vitamin B-6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin C; they also had less overall saturated fat intake.

Children who eat more processed and fast foods that are usually less healthy than home-cooked meals. Children see up to 10,000 food commercials every year; most of these are for fast food, candy, soft drinks, and sugared cereals. Also, a survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that teens whose families ate together frequently were less likely to use alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, something that provides myriad other benefits besides better physical and mental health. 

Unfortunately, as people go up the career ladder; they have little or no time to take homemade food because of the call of duty and frequent travels. However, the zeal to be healthy such not be traded on the platter of career because at retirement, you might have to nurture illnesses with your pension (if you are not in Nigeria because pensioners here rarely get paid).

Like a healthy life at all times with good homemade meal; such is my preference.

References:

Medical Daily

Medical News Today

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DISDAIN vs DEFERENCE

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Aligwu Nyiam,

Trust you had a great week? I am still in solidarity with my Benue friends; I have come to you in Igede language saying ‘my friend’. Let me congratulate our Mothers; I am proud to be associated with different category of women who have impacted my life positively over the years: my daughter, my wife, aunties, my mother, my grandmothers and many foster women. I hope that one day; I will have the opportunity to write more about them.

I do not know if this applies to all cultures but I am sure that there are certain people that we revere and would not want to ignore their words ‘mi o lẹ ko ọrọ siyin lẹnu’. Many times, we unwillingly take to their stand because of the person involved. The response is usually you are so dear to me that is why I am taking this advice, ‘e tobi lọwọ mi’. Let’s go to today’s discourse, disdain versus deference.

Disdain is a state of feeling of contempt for anyone regarded as unworthy, haughty, contempt and scorn. When a person is showing this trait, the person does not want to the opinion of the person. Many times, even at close range, the word of that person is not taken with a pinch of salt.

Deference is the state of utmost respect. The person has the ability to ‘correct, chastise and impact on your life. People are held in deference are usually more experienced than the person in question, they would have impacted on your life and their contributions to the previous achievements cannot be overlooked.

What’s the crux of the matter, everyone has someone that is held in deference; they have the ‘reset’ button to the person’s character when some wrong attitudes set in. For every relationship, locate that person your associate holds in deference and report the person so that restoration can happen before things turn worse.

The challenge for everyone is this, can you be held in deference? Even your children, do they look to you in deference? Have you lost your deference to some flimsy attitudes of life? All category of leaders at all facet of life must not toy with his deference because many times, once it is lost, it cannot be recovered.

There is a respected leader in everyone and it must not be lost to disdain.

Have a Wonderful Mothers Day.

Cheers!

Olutayo

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TATTOO vs LALI

Ior Av,

It’s a wet Thursday in Lagos, Nigeria and I am glad it rained. People have been enduring the high weather temperature in the last few days. It is the day of relieve and we look forward to more relieve as the rainy season sets in fully. I have come in the similitude of a Tiv from Benue State, Nigeria saying, 'My People'.

As a lad, there are names on my Grandmother’s arm, she told me it is called “Soju” and why she had different names written on her skin. When I got to Ilorin for my tertiary education; I came in contact with another intricate patterns drawn on women in the market and some corporate environment, I asked questions about it and I got to know this as one of the traditional fashion style called “Lali”. By the time, I got to Maiduguri, Borno State, before the Boko Haram days; I was used to seeing it on women. Interestingly, when I returned to Lagos, I came in touch with another set of patterns called tattoo. Let’s reflect on today’s Versus Series as we consider Tattoo vs Lali.

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OUTER MOTIVATION vs INNER CONVICTION

Ior Av,

Despite all that is happening in Benue State, not political though, I have decided to associate with them today. I just said my people in Tiv language from North-Central, Nigeria. How it has been a great day for you? Am trying to try (one of the phrases that I learnt from my lecturers)

There are certain children that are seen tilting towards a particular skill early in life, for example Olumide Oresegun, the painter whose work went viral online recently had started drawing since the age of 4. Interestingly, his parents did not deter them from pursuing his dream while some parents want children who would be 'learned' professionals. Do you have an inner conviction or you need outer motivation alone as you pursue your dreams? Let’s reason together.

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WEAKENED NORMALCY vs STRENGHTENED STRETCH

Iniebinotu,

There is nobody who does not want to associate with people who can speak their language and this is one of the ways of being favoured. Interestingly, some people understand other’s language more than their mother tongue because they are resident in those areas. I am saying ‘My People’ in Izon (Ijaw) language of the people of the riverine communities in South-South, Nigeria.

Children are the most encouraged set of people on earth. You are being encouraged by your parents; pampered by your grannies (apologies to those who never had that experience); got gifts from uncles and aunties. However, when you get to certain heights in life; you are being encouraged in a way that looks chastising; you are encouraged to break some limited to set new records. Eventually, when one grows out of that age, one starts to appreciate the efforts invested into one at that time.

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BUS DRIVER vs CAR DRIVER

Mutane,

‘People’ that is my greetings today in Hausa language. Hope it has been a great day thus far? Most especially at this time, for those in Nigeria, when there is fuel scarcity! It has been a great challenge commuting from one place to another. Imagine, Third Mainland Bridge has been free lately because many people have stopped driving. Hopefully, traffic will return next week when the scarcity is over.

Have you ever noticed the difference in the driving of a bus driver and a car driver in Lagos? You will be amazed at the roughness and the carefulness of both drivers. Let’s think together as we draw some inferences on both driving styles.

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FUMIGATION vs SANITATION

Otume,

That’s ‘hello’ in Degema language of Rivers State, Nigeria. Hope you had a fantastic Easter. I had some fun-relaxed and equally did some personal tasks. Welcome to the last week in March 2016. Time flies so fast. The first quarter of 2016 is gradually coming to an end; all thanks to God for the power to attain heights so far this year and also for good health.

There was once a need for fumigation because of rats in a particular household. When everything was finally set for the fumigation to take place; the resident of the apartment called the man who was to do the fumigation and asked him, ‘I hope that we would have no incident of rat destroying our property after this exercise.’ The man who would do the fumigation smiled and replied, ‘Sir, this exercise will kill all the rats inside but does not stop other rats from intruding. What you have to do is to improve on your sanitation of the apartment.’ Let’s discuss fumigation and sanitation.

Fumigation is the time when you do a holistic overhaul of your environment to get rid of rodents and pests that are harmful to residents of a particular apartment. Fumigation usually demands for a little space from the resident so that the offensive odour of the chemicals used can diffuse before their return. Let’s narrow, it down a bit, fumigation can also be a review of one’s work and tasks at work. There are times when past atrocities are unveiled after thorough investigation. It can also be a time when one decides to change some nasty habits that would later in life after one’s health negatively.

Sanitation is a continuous effort at ensuring that the environment is always clean. It must be noted that rodents and pests thrive in dirty environments. If one painfully cleans the environment at all times, there would be limited outbreak of diseases for example Lassa fever, cholera, diarrhoea and dysentery. If this would be narrowed down a little also, there is a need to always ensure that your little space from the school to the office; from the church to the car is always kept clean. This will impact positively on the damage that one suffers when one is careless or carefree about the environment.

Let’s wind it up today; we have a choice to keep sanitizing our environment than always waiting for the next fumigation exercise that does not guarantee total freedom from the rodents and pests. It is much cheaper to keep a good sanitation habit than to keep expending money on fumigation.

I will prefer to maintain high sanitation standard rather than to be a customer to the fumigation expert.

Enjoy your week

xoxoxo

Olutayo

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INTERNAL ENTRUST vs EXTERNAL ATTACK

E kaaro, Idobale ni mo wa o!

The Yoruba boy in me will often emerge. I have no option but to say ‘Good Morning while prostrating’!  I consider my language an asset, at this time, now that the spotlight is now on Africa and her languages. Be that as it may, let’s learn from the worldview of the Yoruba today. Welcome to a new week, its a wet Monday morning in Lagos.

In some corporate organizations in Nigeria, it is a company policy not to allow couples to work within the company. It is understandable because it would be easy to perpetrate fraud. However, there are some couple who work in the same big organization without the knowledge of the management. The lady thereby retains her maiden name after a ‘secret’ marriage. One of the ‘assumed allies’ of the lady sold her out to her line manager hysterically. She called her the surname of the guy mentioning his vivid details. This reinforces a Yoruba saying, ‘B'íkú ilé kò bá pani,t'òde kòlè pani’ meaning if the household (enemy) does not kill one; an external (enemy) would not be able to penetrate.

Internal Entrust are the people that one believes they are one’s allies and you can narrate everything about one at every point in time. However, these are the set of people that can easily be your ‘Judas’ because they have all your information at their disposal; they can easily be your ‘Delilah’ who can be used to obtain great information from you and they can also be ‘spy’ who wants to evaluate you for further action.

External Attack is a response to the information gathered from the internal people that you have entrusted your life and secret to. The causes of many job losses are based on tip off by colleagues! Many times, we sell ourselves out cheaply and we pay dearly for it. However, there are times when external attacks could be as a result of sin or that the glory of God to be unveiled.

Men are built for relationships but know this for sure that you are the only person that can help yourself against internal entrust or external attacks. If you do not set limit; your information can turn around to inhibit you!

As small as your tongue is, it can set a forest on fire. James 3:5.

Have an attack free week.

Cheers!

Olu

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DESPERATION vs AMBITION

Iniebinotu,

I have come to address ‘My People’ according to the Izon (Ijaw) language of South-South, Nigeria. You know one thing that has happened to Nigerian languages is the modification by Westerners during the era of colonization. I still hold this opinion strongly that we should either revert to the original names or at least, let them reflect in our historical books. However, that’s not what we have come to discuss today.

There are certain people that we know either in business, sports, entertainment and other spheres of life that started their practice before us and we can tell their success story over time. When we see them in the media, we utter statements like, ‘I know him very well; he was my classmate’ etc. However, the journey to stardom can be in different ways; some are out of desperation while some are basically pure ambition.

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EXTERNAL ADVISORY vs IN-HOUSE ADVISORY

Iniekiowei,

If I were to be a singer, I would have been able to prove my dexterity with all the languages that I have used in greeting you; today I am fraternizing with my Ijaw friends from the Niger-Delta region

by calling you, ‘my friend’.

There is a certain organization that discovered huge revenue leakages and all the loopholes needed to be blocked immediately. The organization ‘ran’ to a renowned consultancy firm to request for their professional services. When the consultancy firm wanted to start working; they requested for all the documents from staff within the organization and at the end of the agreed timeframe, they submitted a report. There are professionals within this organization that can provide the same result but it was not entrusted to them. This correlates with the scriptures, ‘a prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.’

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UNSERVICED USAGE vs SERVICED USAGE

Ovre me,

Waking up on a Monday morning to see a Police officer break the windscreen of a commercial bus popularly called ‘danfo’, thereafter  boarding a bus where a passenger engage the bus driver and the conductor in a duel. This reminds me of the song of the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti that says ‘lojo Monday, Eko o ni gba igbakugba’ meaning Lagos won’t accept rubbish on a Monday. Ovre me means my friend in Degema language in Rivers State of Nigeria.

There are many care-free people who care less about items that services them. A typical example is a car; there is no vehicle that cannot be used for 15-20 years. However, what makes the difference is the way the car is maintained. There are careful people who have been successful in using the same car used by careless people for decades; what makes the difference is the service pattern which can be ignored or given necessary attention.

Unserviced usage is very predominant in the lives of youths. Cars driven by youths are largely not well maintained. Why? All they understand is to ignite the vehicle and move; they would not want to check the gauges to know if the vehicle is in the best state to move. They ignore all warnings requesting for attention. Some of the consequences of unserviced usage include; totally breakdown of the machine or item; more expensive to repair, disappointment at the hour of urgent need and possibly replacement of the whole item.

Serviced usage is the conscious look out for repairs and servicing to prolong the lifespan of an item. Serviced usage is very deliberate. People who are aware of the need to service their items do it with all zeal. They understand the saying, ‘penny wise, pound foolish’. When they notice any strange sound; they would attend to it; they set reminders for the time when servicing should be done and attend to it passionately.

It is cheaper to be passionate about maintaining all you have as compared to running helter-skelter when the chips are down.

Have a well-serviced week.

Cheers!

Olutayo

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INDEPENDENT ADOLESCENCE vs PARENTAL GUIDANCE

Tubara,

As a true Nigerian, I have coming in the similitude of an Ijaw man, I just said ‘hello’. Hope it has been a great weekend? Hope the zeal to make great success is still burning in you for 2016? Let’s not get tired from the first quarter of the year. Arise... for the journey is too great. We would make good success if only we do not desist from pursuing our dreams and visions. I appreciate everyone who has supported us thus far, this is the 101^st edition of Versus Series.

Gone are the days when satellite television was exclusive to the elite; everyone has a form of digital television now. When movies are to be showed; the rating of the movie is shown; some reads ‘viewers’ discretion is advised’. As a little digression, people in Lagos, especially, have little or no time (an assertion subscribed to by many); the endless chase for money makes children gain ‘independence’ early. To further compound, the issue, parents take these positions at different times in life’ these are the child is young and naive. Also, the child is now old enough to use his or her discretion. This independence now determines if the race would race according to ‘juvenile delinquency’ or parental or elderly guidance.

Adolescence is the scariest phase of life. It is time when the blank ‘slate’ on the heart of children finally gets engaged through ‘positive writing or negative writing.’ This writing is dependent on the types of association they keep; the type of independence they are given and the type of parents they have. There are many children who took up ‘terrible’ habits while in secondary school while those who could not muster the courage get to tertiary institution to show their stunts. Adolescents do not need total independence.

Parental guidance is the delicate work of parents and guidance to nurture their children. Unfortunately, most parents are experts in correcting other people’s children while they leave their children to ‘rot’.  Parental guidance becomes effective when these children have imbibed the teachings of their parents; know the stand of their parents and can determine the response of their parents to whatever they do. There is a mode of reasoning by many people of my generation, ‘What Would Mummy Say?’ Not basically because they have made us fearful but because we see ourselves as worthy ambassadors.

There is a saying; it is better to train boys than to mend men! I remember greatly disciplined parents who would stand their feet and tell their children to the face, ‘If I still pay your bills or if you still stay in my house; then you cannot do that’. This is the turning point for many children. Parents should keep their stamp of authority till the child is finally independent and the good guidance which is equally good training is instilled into that child.

Make a choice either you want to battle with delinquent children later in life or you want to be parents of well trained children.

Enjoy your week!

Cheers!

Olu

Note: To know more about the film rating in Nigeria, read more on this Click here

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e-CHILDREN vs TRAINED CHILDREN

Eweso o,

I am coming to you like an Ijebu man this afternoon asking ‘how are you doing?’ Hope you are doing well? Activities have started gathering momentum here and I hope it is the same at your own side. It is already February and if one is not careful that is how the year will speed off; December is around the corner as usual.

Some few weeks ago, I found online a post showing the types of chores a child can be engaged in from age 2. I now remember daughters of two neighbours of the same age, about 6 years now. One of these can open the gate for her parents to drive out, take care of her siblings when the parents are away while the second daughter is still at the mercy of a maid. Are we have e-trained children or trained children?

e-Children are children by my definition trained in English language and the only activity that they understand is how to watch cartoons. Unfortunately, many parents indulge them extremely. They are seen as being young and naive. These children only go to school and they know no other thing. As such, when some unforeseen realities come to the family; they hardly can withstand it. They can be categorized also as 'egg' children because of the way they have maids reporting to them by the hour thus they are 'spoilt' children and they also become obese. These children become further electronic children because their (re)actions would be too abstract and they become liabilities for themselves, their parents and the society. 

Trained children are children that have been made responsible from a young age. This responsibility is related to their age and their level of education. They have the knowledge of what their parents want and do not want. These children are equally well-educated like their classmates but they know the extent to which they can act. Their parents take time to teach, train and tame them. They are both useful to themselves, their parents and the society.

Today, civilization has produced more e-children than trained children but you have the opportunity of guarding your territory. Whatever you allow in your domain will give you the desired result on the long run.

Besides giving a child everything; you also need to train the child very well.

Enjoy your week.

Cheers

Olu

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